Folk Festival an exhilarating mix of old and new cultures

Ultimately, says Phil Lupsiewicz of the Lowell National Park, it's audiences like this one last year that decide which are the breakout acts at the Lowell Folk Festival. (Sun file photo)

LOWELL -- It's Phil Lupsiewicz's job to promote the goings-on at the Lowell Folk Festival, but you get the feeling from talking to him even for just a few minutes on the phone that he's as pumped up about this weekend's event as any of the tens of thousands of people who will line the city's streets for the three-day affair.

When asked to choose who among the 20 or so acts on this year's lineup will be the subject of water-cooler conversations, Lupsiewicz demurs.

"It's always hard to say who is the up-and-comer," says Lupsiewicz, the media and communications specialist with Lowell National Historical Park and Lowell Folk Festival spokesperson.

"Ultimately, at the end of the day, the public always makes that call, even though there are people who we think will be breakout stars."

He quickly lists Marquise Knox, a 23-year-old blues guitarist from just outside of St. Louis, Missouri, as "probably the guy who is going to be the person to watch."

Knox learned how to play the guitar from his grandmother Lillie, a former sharecropper whose ancestors were slaves, as well as his uncle Clifford. Knox has performed with B.B. King and Honeyboy Edwards, among others.

Knox will be performing Friday night, twice on Saturday, and once on Sunday afternoon.

He'll always be playing at the same time as different acts on the many stages that will house acts on Friday night, Saturday afternoon and evening and again on Sunday afternoon.

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The adventurous music lover can easily navigate from stage to stage to check out the different acts, though, pausing only for the necessary refreshments.

"That's why you want to come two days," Lupsiewicz says. "One day, you might go around and see the stages and see a performer who you want to see, so you come back and catch them the next day and catch some other things at the same time. Or, you can take it easier and plant yourself at a stage. That's what makes it a fun festival. It's pretty compact. At the end of the day, we always have the weather on our side, but if you get rain, you grin and bear it. You enjoy it and take it all in."

And if you want to "take it all in," here are some other acts worth checking out, courtesy of Lupsiewicz.

"The thing I have my eye on, performing all three days, is Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka's San Francisco Taiko Dojo."

Taiko drumming is an ancient Japanese form of ritual drumming that combines percussive sound and intense choreographed movements.

"It's very physical. They use drums that are gigantic. I'm looking forward to that. I think it will be so wild. We always get some very physical performances. Remember the Peruvian scissor dancers? It was wild to watch them do their thing and I think the Taiko Dojo drumming will be on the same level, if not more impressive."

Taiko Dojo will also perform once Friday night, twice on Saturday and on Sunday afternoon.

A few more acts that appeal to Lupsiewicz include E.U. featuring Sugar Bear, a Washington, D.C.-based "go-go" group that blends Latin beats, call-and-response, rhythm and blues, and jazz over snare, kick drums and high-hat cymbals.

"They have syncopation, blues music and Latin beats. It's very contemporary. I think that will be pretty outrageous to see that and the whole performance that goes with it. Everybody gets up and it's a house party."

There's also the Sean Keane Band featuring Kevin Doyle for those who love Irish music and the Philadelphia-based Greek music band Seizmos, both of whom drew raves from Lupsiewicz.

"You get so much exposure to music you would never get anywhere else. When we say folk festival, some people think of Newport in the 1950s or 1960s mindset and it's not that at all. There are a lot of performers with an international background and they represent various cultures new to America or like a polka band, have been here for some time," Lupsiewicz says.

"It's a whole smorgasbord of different sights and sounds that sometimes as a free folk festival, people may think, 'Free? What are we talking about here?' We've been here 28 years, we're doing something right."

Some advice for first-time attendees who want to navigate the city: Bring a good pair of sneakers.

"I'm walking all the time," Lupsiewicz says. "It makes for a lot of walking, but I'll tell you, I feel great at the end of the day. You pace yourself. Make sure you're taking in fluids."

At the end of the day, though, as a free event with multiple acts performing simultaneously across the city, it's up to the attendees to decide whom to watch.

"It's the Lowell Folk Festival. People will follow who they want to follow," Lupsiewicz says.

"And, remember, it's not just the music. When you want to get up and stretch your legs, take in the cultures. See how they prepare their foods. With all the ethnic food sellers, make sure you try something. Prices are reasonable, the food is good, and it all supports local organizations."

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